Open AccessFumarate reductase of Helicobacter pylori--an immunogenic protein
Author(s) -
Sabine Birkholz,
U. Knipp,
E. Lemma,
Achim Kröger,
W. Opferkuch
Publication year - 1994
Publication title -
journal of medical microbiology/journal of medical microbiology
Language(s) - Uncategorized
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.91
H-Index - 117
eISSN - 1473-5644
pISSN - 0022-2615
DOI - 10.1099/00222615-41-1-56
Subject(s) - fumarate reductase , protein subunit , reductase , biochemistry , enzyme , biology , helicobacter pylori , microbiology and biotechnology , peptide sequence , succinate dehydrogenase , genetics , gene
An immunogenic protein with an apparent mol. wt of 80 kDa that was recognised by 55% of sera from patients infected with Helicobacter pylori in Western blots was found in butanol extracts of H. pylori membranes. The N-terminal amino-acid sequence of the 80-kDa protein showed 80% identity with the N-terminal sequence of subunit A of the fumarate reductase of Wolinella succinogenes, suggesting the existence of a fumarate reductase in H. pylori. The membrane fraction of H. pylori catalysed succinate oxidation with methylene blue at a specific enzyme activity of 0.06 U/mg of protein. The enzyme was purified by Triton X100 extraction followed by ion-exchange chromatography. The purified enzyme contained an 80-kDa protein which was recognised by rabbit serum raised against subunit A of fumarate reductase of W. succinogenes. A second protein band with a mol. wt of 31 kDa was recognised by rabbit serum raised against subunit B of fumarate reductase of W. succinogenes. Two-dimensional gel electrophoresis demonstrated that the 80- and 31-kDa proteins were subunits of one protein complex. These results indicate that H. pylori contains an enzyme that is very similar to W. succinogenes fumarate reductase. The 80-kDa subunit was recognised in sonicates of all 32 H. pylori strains tested by rabbit antibodies raised against subunit A of fumarate reductase of W. succinogenes, indicating that fumarate reductase is a common protein in H. pylori. The fumarate reductase of H. pylori might enable the bacterium to perform anaerobic respiration in a similar fashion to other anaerobic or facultative bacteria.